Steering-wheel rim



Oct.

C. W BECK STEERING WHEEL RIM Original Filed Oct. 26

C. W. BECK- x STEERI NG 'WHEEL RIM Original Filed Oct. 26, 1914 2 Shuts-Shun 3 @nuentoz Patented Oct. 7, 1924. 4

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POBA'I'ION,

OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR 11 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A. CORRELATION OF MICHIGAN.

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Original application illed'october 26, 1914, Serial R0. 868,723. Divided and this application, Med in 12, 1818, Serial No. 228,157. kenewed Kay 12, 1924.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLES citizen of the United States of America, residi at Detroit, in the county of Wayne 6 and tate of Michi an, have invented certain new and useful mprovements in Steering-Wheel Rims, of which the followin is a specification, reference being had therein .to the accompanying drawings. 1 The invention relates to a new and improved steering wheel rim and has for its object the provision of a rim formed of vulcanized fibrous material.

Prior to my invention steering wheel rims were commonly formed of wood or metal but I have found that a steering wheel formed of vulcanized fibrous material not only possesses the efliciency of the wooden or metal steering wheel bus the rim' formed conductor, it is a much more desirable rim. in cold weather than rimsformed of wood or metal, for a wood or metal rim keeps the hands of the driver ooldl Although my improved rim is light, it neverthelesshas suffi- 0 cient rigidity to retain its shape and the toughness of the fibrous material makes it strong enough to withstand any stresses placed upon it. The vulcanized fibrous material may be highly finished giving it the H5 neat appearance of the more expensive rim. I have found that other com osite' materials are heav and are affected by the heat or cold while a rim formed of fibre/us material is notafl'ected either by the extreme heat or 0 by the extreme cold to which a steering wheel rim is subjected in. 'se i he rim is formedof rrl'canized fibrous material by the method g'as described and claimed in my original application; Serial filed October 26, 1 914, for

' steering wheels, resent application being a di-v vision thereoi In the drawings:

p F igure 1 is a horizontal section of a tow ich my invention is applied;

Figure 2 is a similar view "pf'a modified construction;

W.Bnon,a tal rim but has additional ualities thatmake it much more desirable. l ofvulcanized fibrous of a plurality Figures 3, 4 and 5 illustrate certain do- 1 S;

Figure 6 is a section through a tube after it has been shaped;

F gure 7 illustrates a curved mandrel;

Figure 8 is a top plan view partly in section of a modification; Figure 9, is a sectional perspective view illustratmga mold in which the rim may be formed.

improved steering wheel ormed of fibrous material, nding fibrous material upon a suitable mandrel and vulcanizing,

while the fibrous material isstill green mandrel of segmental maintain its shape, and is then removed; After the-green tube is telescoped upon the curved mandrel, any creases or the like may be; eliminated by 1ron1ng,or by any other inner rim member is tube when removed from the straight mandrel, is tel'escoped upon the inner rim meni-' rm her and allowed to s k thereu ,on tofonn a, permanent covering therefor. setting or hardening of the vulcanized fiber there is a tendency. for it to' contrac I therefore find it desirabletto form the rim of segments, segments being connected together in any suitable manner. In some instances, how ever, the rim may be formed of v In the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a rim made of twosegments A and B, each formed'solely of fibrous material by forcing a. green straight tube as C in Figure 6 THE anon-racer coaof the mandrel being substantially that deso employed the fibrous the ends of the aisplit ring.

over a curved mandrel D as shown in Figure 7. The meeting ends of the sections A and B are connected together by means of a filler member Eforme of wood or other suitable material and to which the ends of the spider arms F are attached. The filler block is preferably glued and nailed to the meeting ends of the segments, but may be attached thereto in any desirable manner. The outer ends-of the arms are shaped form segmental bearings a to receive the rim. Preferably two of the arms are connected to the rim at the junction of the segments, as by means of screws 2) which pass through the rim and through the blocks E. If desired, a segmental bearing a may employed for the upper face of the rim. In some instances, instead of securin the ends of the intermediate arms F to t e rim, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, a filler member 6 is arranged intermediate the ends of the segments to form a more rigid attachment for the outer end of the spider arms The member 6 is of sufficient size to allow it to be telescoped within the segmental tube after the latter has dried.

'In the construction shown .in Figure 8 an inner rim G o tubular metal is provi ed,

" this metal tube serving'to shape the green illustrated one manner plied thereto as tube when the latter is ap h h it t e arrangehereinbefore described. ment shown in Figure 8, the ends of the tubular metal sections may be connected together by a metallic band H.

Instead of shaping the fibrous material before stated Figure 9 I have forming the fibrous material by means of a mold. *Thus I and J are two sections of a sheet metal mold, of segmental form, and K is the The latter is made into one end thereof closed by means of a stopper L or other suitable means, while the opposite end is attached to the compressed air supply connection After the fibrous tube has been engaged with the mold and the sections thereof clamped closed, as by means of a clamp g, compressed air is admitted to the fibrous tube, which will cause the latter to assume the shape of the mold. The mold is herein shown as having a plurality of corrugations M on the inner face thereof and of a contour to form a section of a steering wheel sortable w ithin rim. After the fibers of the material have set or hardened sufiiciently to retain its shape, the material is removed from the mold.

From the above descri tion it is seen that several very desirable orms of rims may be made of vulcanized fibrous material. These rims are durable and can be cheaply manufactured; they are of light. weight, and the exterior of .the rims can be readily finished to present a neat and leasing appearance. Also they are a deci ed improvement over rims formed of metal or wood inasmuch as the metal or wood rims are good conductors and consequently in col weather the rims act to keep the hands of the operator cold. I

What I claim as m invention, is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a steering wheel rim formed of vulcanized fibrous material, said rim being hollow and formed in segments, and filler blocks inthe meeting ends of the segments coacting to secure the same.

2. In a steering gear wheel, the combination of a rim having a plural y of hollowsections, filler blocks connecting the respective meeting spider having certain of its arms located at the meeting ends of said sections, and means respectively passing through the sections, filler blocks and arms for securing the parts together.

3. As a new article of steering wheel rim formed of a plurality o hollow sections, filler blocks insertable within the meeting ends of the sections coacting to secure the same, and a spider having certain of its arms located at the meeting ends of said sections and secured to said filler blocks.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a steering wheel rim formed of a plurality of hollow sections, filler blocks connecting the respective meeting ends of'said sections, an

manufacture, a

ture.

CHARLES .W. BECK.

d f. means for securing said tiller blocks to said solid members closing the 

